Millions of Dollars in Federal Pollution Fines Sit Unused in Conservation Fund: Audit

Millions of Dollars in Federal Pollution Fines Sit Unused in Conservation Fund: Audit
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault rises during question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 21, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Peter Wilson
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Millions of dollars collected by the federal government through fines levied on big polluters have sat unused in a conservation fund intended to be used for environmental initiatives, a recent audit found.

The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF), managed by Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) Minister Steven Guilbeault’s department, was established in 1995 to use funds from environmental fines for “projects that support restoration of damage to the natural environment and wildlife conservation.”